1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to event notification, and more particularly, to notifying a computer user of events by changes on a control device.
2. Description of Background Art
The use of personal computers and workstations is becoming increasingly ubiquitous in all phases of professional and personal life, and the need for sophisticated methods of communication between a peripheral and a host system is becoming fundamental to the successful operation of the overall system. The variety of available peripherals has expanded dramatically with the increasing power available from the microprocessors, available for such systems. In particular, control devices such as keyboards, mice, trackballs, touch pads, game pads, joysticks, remote controllers, and so on are well-known for use with host systems of many types, including PCs, workstations and other types of microprocessor-controlled devices including video game systems, or other office or household devices.
These various types of control devices were conventionally used to input data to the host system, and to instruct the host system regarding actions desired by the user. Apart from instructing the host system regarding what the user desires, it is also desirable to inform the user when certain events take place on the host system and/or on a network to which the host system may be connected.
Traditionally, notification mechanisms have included some kind of sound for alerting the user that a certain event has occurred. For example, the host system could sound a chime to indicate to the user that she has received an email message. Another example of the use of sound as a notification mechanism is the emanation of a chime sound to signal a calendar alarm. Other notification mechanisms include pop-up windows or icons on some display (e.g. a monitor). For instance, a user may be notified of the arrival of an email message in her inbox by an envelope icon popping up on the user's monitor. Similarly, a user may be reminded of an appointment on her calendar by a pop-up window describing the appointment.
However, these traditional notification mechanisms involve either the visual or the auditory senses. As a result, these notifications make public to other people in the user's vicinity when a certain event has occurred. For example, it is often possible for other people in the user's vicinity to hear a sound emanated by the host system, or to see a pop-up window or icon on the user's monitor. This public nature of notification has several problems. First, such notifications may be disruptive to other people around the user. Second, the user can have no expectation of privacy regarding the notification of certain events. Thus she may not wish to be notified in such manners of events for which she desires confidentiality, even though being apprised of the occurrence of the event may otherwise be very important to her.
Another problem with notification by means of pop-up icons and windows is that while external events may be announced on the computer screen, such notifications may be unnoticed if the user is not working directly on the screen, or if the screen is in power saving mode. Similarly, in power saving mode, computer sound sources are usually disabled, hence depriving the user from active notification.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for notifying the user of an event when she is not facing the screen, or when the screen in power saving mode. In addition, there is a need for notification mechanisms that do not disturb other people in the vicinity of the user. Further, there exists a need for notification mechanisms that would preserve the user's expectation of privacy, and notify only the user of the occurrence of an event.